Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford and his wife Melva, arrive at the Federal Building in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Monday, Oct. 26, 2009, for his federal bribery trial. (The Birmingham News / Tamika Moore) Birmingham Budweiser General Manager Keith Nelson testified today that Larry Langford was a partner in a group that owns land in Hoover, but Langford did not contribute money to the venture.

Nelson's testimony came on the sixth day of Langford's federal corruption trial. Langford is charged with taking $236,000 in money, clothes and gifts while on the Jefferson County Commission in exchange for steering business to Montgomery investment banker Bill Blount and his firm, Blount Parrish.

Blount has pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges and testified last week. Lobbyist Al LaPierre has pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion charges for his role as a middle man and has also testified.

Langford has pleaded not guilty. His attorneys say he was manipulated by people he thought were longtime friends.

Nelson's testimony followed the reading into evidence of Langford's deposition in an SEC lawsuit against him. In the deposition, Langford said he took out a loan with Colonial Bank, but could not pay it off because the land he had a partial ownership in did not sell.

Langford told the SEC he borrowed $50,000 and $75,000 from LaPierre and intended to pay it back. There was no discussion of paying interest because they are friends, he said.

Langford also told the SEC that he paid for his own clothes when he went shopping in New York City with Blount. He testified in that 2007 deposition that Blount never loaned or gave him money.

Last week Blount testified that he bought Langford thousands of dollars in clothes and jewelry during trips to New York to meet with banks about county bond business. Blount, in his dealings with Jefferson County while Langford was president of the County Commission, made $7.1 million in fees.